Broken Hearts and Healing Hands
by CompletelyInLoveWithTwilight
Summary: Troy and Gabriella have been best friends since 1st grade. They fit together like puzzle pieces. Will tragic events split them apart or pull them closer? First Fanfic. R&R. AU. MAJOR TROYELLA.
1. Chapter 1: Magazines

**Gabriella's POV**

Looking into the magazines and seeing how thin and beautiful the models were - it was making me think of how I hadn't eaten in many weeks. Hunger was all that filled my mind, but I had to resist the temptation. Hunger was something that was tempting me again and again. No! I just couldn't give up my effort after all these weeks. I had to get thin. I didn't exactly know when this all had started. All that I knew was that I didn't eat anymore. Well, not much anyways. It wasn't that I disliked food, but it was a sacrifice I had to make in order to get the pounds off that had gathered over years. It was making me unattractive and everyday I went to school I could feel the looks of my fellow classmates, making me squirm. It seemed as if I wasn't the only one noticing how fat I had become. My mum's yelling for me to come eat dinner interrupted my train of thoughts. I put down the magazine and looked on the counter. Oh, the delicious food that was on the table was looking so irresistible. But I had to stay hard.

My mom always asked why I was never eating. And I told her the same lie every night. Of course I was feeling terrible about lying to her, but I said it nevertheless: "I had a big lunch." I knew my mom was worried. I also knew that it was only a matter of time until she'd start questioning me about it seriously. But I didn't want to tell her. It would break her heart.

Every time I sat at the lunch table I was lying once again, but this time to my best friends. Troy, Zeke, Miriam, Taylor, Chad, and Sharpay - they all knew that there was something wrong with me. They just couldn't put their finger on it. I missed telling them the truth and I felt guilty every hour of the day. It was eating me inside and out, which was quite ironically with me trying to lose weight. There had been a time I had tried to stop my virtually absent eating habits by myself, but it just didn't work. It was just so addicting; I was just too much involved already. And then there was also something else.

Every day, when I went to school, I could see the look on Troy's face. He was just as worried about me as my mother, I could tell by only one look into his eyes. Troy. Deep inside my heart I had had feelings for him since freshmen year. It had started off in a slow progress, but somewhere along the line my feelings had become so strong it had been impossible to deny them to myself. The realization had shocked me, to say the very least. He was my best friend after all. I had known him for a little over ten years. Right now we were both sophomores in East High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Along with Chad he was the most popular guy in school. I was the second most popular girl, right behind Sharpay Evans. Through Sharpay, who I had met sometime in pre-school, I had gotten to know her brother, Ryan Evans. All of us had known each other for a long time. But still Troy remained my best friend. He was always there for me. No matter what it was - from girl-things like shopping and periods to my several boyfriend problems - Troy was always listening to see if he could help me out. The only secret he didn't know was that I was anorexic. And of course he never knew about my developing feelings for him. I had never told him and I didn't think I ever would.

This morning I woke up with a feeling that something bad was going to happen today. I shook my head to clear it from the thought. Why should today be any different from other days? I figured it was just because I was still tired. I hopped out of bed and got ready for another day of school. As I walked into the hallway of East High an hour and a half later I saw people looking at me. I instantly began to feel uncomfortable. Maybe people were looking to see how fat I was. All I wanted was for people to stop looking at me. Was that too much to ask? I accelerated my pace in hope I would get out of people's eyeshot.

As I stopped at my locker, I saw the person I wanted to see most. Troy was standing there, waiting for me, his chestnut hair just a little over his beautiful blue eyes. I really liked everything about him. He was the one who was most important to me. Sometimes I even felt as if I lived to make him happy. As I approached, he started talking. "Hey, Gabs. You want to hang out during lunch hour?" My heart took a leap. Still I tried to sound as nonchalant as possible. "Sure. Why not? Where do you want to go?" I could see his eyes light up. "Let's go to the pizza parlour down 15th Avenue." I was quick to agree. "Okay. I'll meet you in front of the school in the beginning of third hour." And with that I had a plan for lunch.

**Troy's POV**

Now I had lunch plans with Gabriella. Gabriella was my best friend, a beautiful brunette with sparkling milk chocolate eyes. Every time I looked at her it was hard to look way. All the guys of our school wanted to be with her, but they knew that she was mine. The only person that didn't know about my claim on her was she herself. It was a shame that she didn't know, because everyone was continuously saying how good we looked together. I loved her with all my heart. I didn't know what I would do without her. She was like my soul mate. When she was sad I felt the pain in my heart. When she was hurt it just broke my heart and I wanted to kill whoever had hurt her. And for all the things I do for her she repays me with even more. She helped me with my anger. Yeah, I had serious anger management problems. But whenever she was near I could feel myself calm down. And still I couldn't bring myself to admit my feelings to her. I couldn't afford to lose her over my feelings.

Finally lunch hour had arrived. "Hey, are you ready to go?" I questioned. "Sure.", she answered in her beautiful Hispanic voice. I offered her my arm and she took it smiling. Together we left the school building and hopped into my car. After a few minutes we arrived at the pizza parlour. "Hey, what do you want to eat? My treat.", I volunteered to take care of our meals. It took a moment for her to answer. "Oh. Uh… I- I'm not hungry." She had said it so fast that I had to play it again in my head a few times to understand what she had told me. I couldn't believe it. "Come on, you love pizza." I stated, trying to persuade her to eating something. I could have never foreseen her reaction. "I TOLD YOU, I'M NOT HUNGRY!"

**Gabriella's POV**

After I had yelled at Troy, I ran out of the parlour and headed straight for the library, where I usually went to calm myself down. Troy always knew where to find me and within minutes he, too, arrived at the library, looking for me. "I'm so sorry." I apologized. I didn't know what had come over me to ract the way I had done. Suddenly I lost all my thoughts and pitch blackness came over me.

When I woke up, I saw Troy kneeling beside me, regarding my face with concern. I could see his facial expression change to one of relief, as he saw I had opened my eyes again. "I called your parents and they said that you haven't been eating. But still you tell us every lunch you're not hungry, because you've eaten too much at home. Are you lying to me, to us? What are you hiding, Gabby?" I swallowed hard and as his temper started to rise, I started to shake. When I tried to hide something I tended to shake like I just saw a ghost. And of course Troy knew it too. "I...Uhh...I" That was all I could say.


	2. Chapter 2: The Secret Revealed

**Recap of the last chapter:**

_When I tried to hide something__, I tended to shake like I just saw a ghost. And of course Troy knew it too. "I...Uhh...I" that was all I could say. _

**Nobody's POV****:**

Troy's insides felt as if they were churning. "Answer me, Gabs. Please. You're scaring me. Are you or are you not anorexic?" He asked very softly this time, mostly because he knew she was already terrified. Not having his anger management issues under control wouldn't do anything good. Gabriella realized that she wouldn't be able to lie to him any longer. "I really want to say no, but… I'd be lying. Please don't be mad." She pleaded. The last thing she needed was for him to be mad at her. She needed Troy; she had to have him in her life. It was her way of living.

Troy's heart cramped and he felt as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice-cold water over him. So it was true. Gabriella, his Gabriella, his best friend… she was anorexic. He sat there for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. But he knew that he needed to tell her what seemed to be the most important for her right now. "I'm not mad, Gabby. I can't believe that you thought I would be mad. Of course, it would have been better if you had told me earlier, though." He reached out to hug her and softly kissed her forehead.

Gabriella's voice was muffled by his shirt, but he still understood perfectly well what she was saying. "Please don't send me away. Don't let me get send to a clinic for anorexia. I've seen what they do there and I don't want that to happen to me. And one more thing: Please don't tell anyone." She was pleading with him, begging.

Troy froze. He had never seen Gabriella so sad. And here she was, asking him to keep quiet, to not tell on her. But how could he do it? How could he keep silent and let her continue with whatever she was doing to her own body? He knew about anorexia; it could be deadly. And yet Gabriella didn't want help. Troy didn't know what to do. He would do anything she asked of him. Anything. But what if that would lead to an impairment of her health? Could he account his actions if she'd get hurt? He didn't know. And it made him more desperate than he had ever been. So he did the first thing on his mind: It was the first time he bailed on her. He ran away.

**Troy's POV**

How was I so stupid not to notice? What kind of friend was I? Ahh! Spider! Whoops, my bad. It was not my fault that I was scared of spiders. Okay, focus. _Fake left, go right, keep my eye on the ball and shoot._ Yes! I had made the basket. All of these thoughts came to me after school when I went home to practice because of the big game in a week. After that school would finally end and summer would come. I wondered what we were going to do this summer.

**Gabriella's POV**

I felt guilty that I hadn't told Troy earlier, but now I had to eat. So that meant that I couldn't lose weight. I was going to stay fat forever. It was almost summer; so maybe Troy would forget about it. Who was I kidding? He'd never. What was I going to do? I went for a run to clear my head of thoughts and doubts. And for the first time ever it actually worked. After I came back, I went in to take a shower, turned up my radio, and my favourite song came on. I started singing along with it; it was one of my favourite things to do.

**Living in my own world  
Didn't understand  
That anything can happen  
When you take a chance  
I never believed in  
What I couldn't see  
I never opened my heart  
To all the possibilities  
I know that something has changed  
Never felt this way  
And right here tonight**

I didn't even know that I was crying until I tasted the salt. I longed for Troy and me to be the two people in this song. But now he had run away.

**This could be the start  
Of something new  
It feels so right  
To be here with you...oh  
And now ... looking in your eyes  
I feel in my heart  
The start of something new**

Now who'd of ever thought that  
We'd both be here tonight  
And the world looks so much brighter  
With you by my side  
I know that something has changed  
Never felt this way  
I know it for real

This could be the start  
Of something new  
It feels so right  
To be here with you  
And now looking in your eyes  
I feel in my heart  
The start of something new

I never knew that it could happen  
Till it happened to me  
I didn't know it before  
But now it's easy to see

It's a start  
Of something new  
It feels so right  
To be here with you  
And now looking in your eyes  
I feel in my heart

That it's the start  
Of something new  
It feels so right  
To be here with you  
And now looking in your eyes  
I feel in my heart  
The start of something new  
Start of something new

After the song had finished, I got out of the shower, went to the couch and turned on the T.V. I hadn't got anything else to do, though I was still hoping for Troy to come around. Just a little after I had sat down, the doorbell rang. It didn't take a minute for me to get up and answer it. "Anxious much?" A voice said. "In your dreams, Bolton. What are you doing here?" I answered him. I was in shock that Troy was standing right at my door. He had come back. It was right there - that second - that I knew that he really cared about me.

He opened his mouth and started apologizing. "Look Gabs… I'm so sorry. The truth was that I was in shock after you told me. I didn't know how to react. I should have known what to do and I shouldn't have run away. You're my best friend and I love you… like a sister." For a second I had thought he loved me as a girlfriend, but he then he had added 'like a sister'. My heart just broke into a million pieces. Oh, how I longed for him to tell me that he loved me. But that would never happen. He grabbed me and hugged me for at least one minute.

**Troy's POV**

After spending the afternoon with Gabriella, I was finally home again. And I felt like I should hit myself. What was wrong with me? I could've told her if I hadn't said those last three words. The truth was that I had already wanted to tell her that I loved her at the pizza parlour, as I had finally plucked up the courage to do so, but that had gone down the drain. Maybe it was just not meant to be. What was I talking about? Of course we were meant to be. I'd tell her tomorrow. All I needed was to sleep on it.

**Nobody's POV**

_Okay__, here we go_, thought Gabriella. She was trying out for the musical for next year. She loved to sing in front of people if she closed her eyes but when she opened them during a performance she would start stuttering. And all, because she thought people were looking at how fat she was. But when she closed her eyes everything was alright. To be in the musical you had to sing a song that you wrote by yourself for the Drama club. Gabriella opened her mouth and started singing.

**He is perfect**

**No one will ever steal my heart from him**

**The only problem is**

**He's not mine**

**I love with all of heart**

**There's nothing that can ever change that**

**I sit on my bed**

**Waiting for my prayer to come true**

**Everything I do**

**Makes me think of him**

**His smile**

**Makes my whole day brighter**

**Every day he talks to me**

**But why can't he see that I want him to be mine**

**Why didn't I tell him in the first place?**

Only a few seconds after she stopped everyone in the audience rose to clap for her. Her voice was truly beautiful. But Gabriella couldn't quite rejoice over the audience obviously loving her. She had sung that song for one person and one person only.

**A.N. I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my bff Miriam.**

**Thx for reading please review **

**Songs: Start of something new- High school musical**

**Every thing I do- Me**


	3. Chapter 3: Summer

**A.N. I know the last chapter wasn't that good but that was an intro to something later in the story. I'll tell you when we get to it. So tell me your thoughts. And remember I love reviews.**

**Recap of last chapter:**

Only a few seconds after she stopped everyone in the audience rose to clap for her. Her voice was truly beautiful. But Gabriella couldn't quite rejoice over the audience obviously loving her. She had sung that song for one person and one person only. Troy.

**Gabriella's POV**

It was the last day of school and the third to last lesson was finally over. As I was walking the corridor of East High, I bumped into Zeke Baylor. "Oh hey, Zeke. Can you believe that in two hours it's going to be summer?" Yep, that was right. It was almost summer time. And summer was always the best season of the year, because Troy always threw the best birthday party for me and I loved him because of that. After Zeke had nodded to my question, I threw a look at my watch and hurried up to get to my next class in time. Fortunately the whole gang was going to be there.

All my thoughts about summer and what was going to happen had brought me to the last half an hour for our school year. My thoughts were swirling from one to another, which saved me from the last thirty minutes and when I finally got out of my trance, people were shouting "summer!" Everybody pushed and shoved out of the class except Troy, Zeke, Miriam, Taylor, Chad, Sharpay and me.

"So Troy, what are we going to do this summer?" Zeke asked my best friend. Troy answered in a light tone: "Oh, the usual, you know. A birthday party for Gabby, hanging out at the mall..." Right on cue we all looked at Sharpay, the girl who had closets full of different clothes. Sharpay was also the fashion police, drama queen, and she indisputably ruled this school. "Anyway, where is Gabby's party going to be? Who's going to cook?" Cook. The thought of lots of food being presented at my birthday party turned my stomach. Troy obviously sensed my uneasiness. "I could make this the party of the year.", he was trying really hard to change the subject and it actually worked. "First, it already is the party of the year. Second, I'm the cook." Zeke felt the need to explain. Yeah, that was right. Zeke cooked. And the only reason it was the party of the year was because everyone that was popular was going to be there.

**Troy's POV**

It was two weeks after school had ended and summer holidays had begun and it was three more days until Gab's birthday party. Thinking of Gabs: She had been eating for a month. I was so proud of her. I had asked Zeke if he could bake the best things on his menu. I hoped she would like it.

**Gabriella's POV**

As I woke up this morning, I told myself that it was my birthday, which meant that I got to spend the whole day with my best friend, Troy. Knowing Troy, he might have Sharpay rent the whole mall and give me a store load of things; maybe he'd even throw the party there. I was interrupted by a text message that said "Hey babe, meet me at my house in ten. Love, Troy." The last phrase wasn't anything out of the ordinary, though I wanted it to be more than anything. Both of us often sent friendly flirt text messages to each other.

Troy's house was just down the block on Valentine Place. We only lived five houses away from each other. I walked down the street to his house and when I rang the door bell, he answered right away. What surprised me was that, when I walked into the house, there were rose pedals and candles everywhere. What was all of this? This definitely was out of the ordinary. I was shocked on how perfect everything was. I turned to Troy, searching for an explanation. He answered my unspoken question with a beaming smile and said: "This is the first part of your birthday present from me. You get to spend time with me until four o'clock."

**A.N. I know this is a short chapter but hang with me. I might not get another chapter done considering that I have plans. Please review**


	4. Chapter 4: Loop holes

**Recap of the last chapter**:

"This is the first part of your birthday present from me. You get to spend time with me until four o'clock."

**Nobody's POV:**

After having spent a wonderful day together – just the two of them – the time had eventually come for them to go. It was four o'clock and Troy dragged Gabriella out of the house, not caring for her weak protesting. "Come on! Everyone's waiting." He pulled her into his car and saw Gabriella furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. "Where are we going?" Troy just laughed her question off. She didn't truly believe he would tell her, now did she? "It's a surprise and that's why you have to wear this blindfold...", he said, as he blindfolded Gabriella. The girl sighed in resignation. She knew she wouldn't get it out of him. There was no point in interrogating him any longer. And she did have a foreboding anyways.

Around twenty minutes later they arrived at the mall, just as Gabriella had predicted. When they got to the entrance of Gabriella looked at the door saying that the mall was closed. She screwed her nose slightly. How were they going to get in if it was closed? Troy provided the answer by taking out a key and opening the door of the mall.

**Gabriella****'****s POV:**

Once I stepped though the door, I heard "Surprise!" from pretty much every one of my best friends. It was obvious that Sharpay had rented the whole mall. There was a table full of presents and another one with food and drinks. I shook my head. They really shouldn't have done all that for me. But I was thankful nevertheless. I quickly learned that Kelsi had planned all the games and the first game was "Spin the bottle". So everyone sat in a circle and of course I was the first one to go. Damn being the birthday girl. When the bottle stopped spinning, it landed right in front of Troy... Maybe being the birthday girl wasn't so bad after all.

**Troy****'****s POV:**

As the bottle landed right in front of me, I first couldn't believe my eyes. Then realization dawned on me and I swallowed hard. I had to kiss my best friend. Attempting to calm myself down I tried to tell myself that it was no big deal… It was just a kiss. Control yourself; you can't be falling for her; she's your best friend… When I looked up, I saw that Gabriella was bright red. I could understand her perfectly well... It wasn't everyday that you had to kiss your best friend because of a party game. But I knew that there was no way to get out of it and – truth to be told – I didn't even want to. Maybe this was the only opportunity I would ever get to kiss her. And I wasn't going to let that go to waste. I could see in Gabriella's face that she had come to the same conclusion as I had… the one about not being able to get out of it, of course. I nodded over at her and then we both leaned in together and our lips touched. I felt a spark right at that moment. If it was for me we would never stop kissing and I wanted so badly to deepen that kiss, but I knew that I couldn't. That definitely would be telling the world that I was falling for her.

**Gabriella****'****s POV:**

I felt a spark when our lips touched. And suddenly I never wanted our kiss to end. If only he knew how badly I wanted him to keep going, to deepen the kiss, to pull me to him, to show me that I meant as much to him as he meant to me... But he would never and I wouldn't humiliate myself by showing him that I wanted more than friendship. I also couldn't afford to lose him; I didn't know what I'd do without him. He was the only one that knew about my problem. He was the only one that knew about all my problems. And still I could barely restrain myself from whimpering at the loss of contact as he pulled away.

Growing red once again, I averted my head, only to find myself being starred at by all of my friends. Damn, they hadn't seen anything they weren't supposed to see, had they? Seen that I craved for his touch, for his kiss, for his love as a girlfriend… I needed to change the subject. "I'm starting to get hungry. Let's eat..." I tried everything in my might to sound convincing. It sure worked for Chad. I didn't even need to finish my sentence and he was already gone. It was then that I realized in which situation I had brought myself. I needed to lose weight, but how? I needed to eat, because Troy was always watching me like a hawk... Wait, I could still lose weight if I ate and threw it up again afterwards. I had learned about it in class. It was called bulimia and shouldn't be that hard. Feeling Troy's intense gaze on me, I walked over to the food table and began to eat cookies and cake.

"This is delicious, Zeke." I commented on his cooking skills, enjoying the taste of the first sweets in many months. But I knew that I couldn't wait too long with the throwing up part, otherwise my body would have already turned the calories to account. So I whispered to Troy that I needed to go to the restroom, feeling even guiltier at the thought of doing this right in front of his nose without him knowing. But I couldn't let that get to me. I needed to get thin. When I got there, I ran in the stall and stuck two fingers up my mouth. Within seconds I tasted vomit coming up my throat and I could feel the acid as it came upstream. It went away as fast as it came and the knowledge that I had finally found a way of eating and avoiding getting even fatter regardless let me feel euphoric.

When I went outside again, it was time to open presents. I saw nine boxes of different sizes. The first present I chose was Troy's, wrapped up in silver-red gift-wrap. When I opened it, I found a necklace that had a "T" in the front and in the back there was a "G". I broke out into a brilliant smile. He always found a present exactly to my taste. "Oh Troy, it's... it's beautiful. You didn't have to buy this for me." I said, as I leaned in to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Troy's POV:

My heart leapt as she expressed her liking for my present. God knew how much I had hoped she would like it. "Oh Troy, it's... it's beautiful. You didn't have to buy this for me", she said, giving me a kiss on the cheek and a hug. It was really no big deal, but the thing was that this time she was the one who gave me that kiss... usually I was the one that did that. Maybe that meant she liked me in the same way that I liked her... who was I kidding. She could never like me, although I had thought her beautiful the first time I had seen her. I could still clearly remember the day of meeting her for the first time...

**A/N… Sorry for taking so long to update. I know this chapter is very short but it will all pay off next chapter. I have to start getting ready for school so I can't update that much. I will have questions at the end of the chapter and whoever gives the right answer the next chapter will be dedicated to you or you can be a guest star. Please review… **

**Hurry up and Review. Tell me what you think of this story. Give me ideas. **

**Thx for reading**

**Luv… Totalflirt**


	5. Chapter 5: When We First Met

**Recap of the last chapter:**

She could never like me, although I had thought her beautiful the first time I had seen her. I could still clearly remember the day of meeting her for the first time…

**Flashback:**

**Gabriella's POV:**

My mom and I were in Utah, boarding the plane to New Mexico, so we could get back to Albuquerque, the town we had moved to only recently. Our house was already bought and furnished and we had already lived in there for a day or two, but then New Year's season had come and mum had decided that we needed a holiday. So we had booked plane tickets to Utah and back to New Mexico.

I was really upset, since I had to sit by myself in the window seat and some other person was going to sit with me instead of my mum because of our booking the tickets really late. There hadn't been any seats directly beside each other, so we had taken what we had got. This had left me all alone and her sitting with a couple. I could imagine her discomfort, because she had the centre aisle between them.

My mother sat with a couple. She had the centre aisle.

But I had to make the best out of my situation and the first thing I would do would be putting my Barbie backpack up in the compartment, for I liked to have more space than I could get with the backpack in my lap. But I quickly found I couldn't put my Barbie backpack up in the compartment, because I was too short. Searching for help I looked for my mother, but she was chatting away with the couple. So I couldn't look forward to getting any help from her. Right then someone took my bag, climbed up the seat and placed it carefully in the compartment.

**Troy's POV:**

After we had boarded our plane back to Albuquerque, New Mexico, I saw this girl with brown hair like silk. She was desperately trying to put her backpack up in the compartment, but couldn't because of her height, so I quickly took the bag from her hands, climbed up the chair and placed it in the compartment.

When I got down, she looked so surprised that I waved my hand in front of her face, but she didn't even blink. I had to slightly nudge her to finally get her to focus again. Eventually batting her eyelashes again, she seemed to concentrate on me and my helping her. Her good manners shining through, she extended her hand and introduced herself: "Hi! My name is Gabriella. What's yours?", she questioned. I smiled at her. "Troy. Where do you live? I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico." I was very interested in what she was going to say, and me being a first grader who normally cared for nothing else but basketball, that was very surprising.

She blinked surprised and then a smile stretched across her face. "Oh, really? Because my mom and me have recently moved there.", she said. Whoa, that really was great news. So we would be living in the same town. This became more and more interesting. "Are you sitting here? If you are, then you are my plane buddy." I said. The next second I nearly banged my head with my hand. I sounded so stupid. But luckily she didn't seem to think that way. "Yeah...", she was interrupted by the flight attendant.

"Okay everyone, let's sit down and fasten your seat belts please." Hastily the both of us climbed into our seats, happy to know that we wouldn't have to sit next to some persons we wouldn't be able to stand sitting near them for the duration of the flight. Within one hour Gabriella had fallen asleep on my shoulder and there was a strand of hair in her face, so I tucked it behind her ear. As soon as I did so, she smiled. I would always remember that smile, since it was the sweetest I have ever seen.

**End of flashback**

**Troy's POV:**

"Troy? Troy! Dude! Hello? Is anyone home?" Chad yelled into my ear, obviously trying to snap me out of my daydream. To my greatest displeasure it worked. "Yeah? What happened?", I asked him, annoyed to be disturbed. "You left me to go to Lala-land." He shot back. Really? I thought that was obvious. Still… "How long was I gone?" I questioned. "For about ten minutes. You were thinking about her, weren't you?" Damn it, why did Chad have to choose this moment to show something of his intelligence? "Idontknowwhatyouaretalkingabout" I muttered, embarrassed to have been caught.

But Chad didn't buy my sorry try of an excuse. "You were thinking about Gabriella. Dude, everyone knows you like her." Oh well, was I that bad at trying to cover my feeling? It seemed to be that way. "Yeah, everyone except her." I sighed quietly, knowing that it was the truth. If she did know she would have said something about it. I had hoped that Chad wouldn't hear me, but that hope was vain. "What did you say?" he interrogated me, as he chuckled. Hell, this was getting worse and worse. "N-nothing important" I stuttered, trying to convince Chad of letting it go. Chad took mercy on him and only replied with an: "Yeah, sure." After that I changed the topic to the fact that school was almost starting and we had one week left of summer vacation.

**Gabriella's POV:**

All my friends and me were at Sharpay's house for a sleepover. I was pretty nervous, because – well, it was a sleepover and it just so happened that we all would be sharing a room together. How on earth would I be able to keep my secret of me being bulimic if I shared a room with Troy? He was the one that could make me tell him anything. All he had to do was smile and have me looking into his beautiful ocean blue eyes. The eyes that I always drowned in… I was ripped out of my thoughts as Sharpay thought I had been dreaming away for long enough.

"GABS!", she yelled in my ear, making me jump up in fright. What the hell? "WHAT? I think I need a hearing aid now, thanks to you, so this better be important." I snarled, angry at her for startling me that way. "Oh, it's nothing. I just wanted to tell you everyone else is here.", she answered me, laughing a bit gleefully at my anxious expression. "Oh, okay." I told her and shrugged. Let's see what she was going to make of it. Apparently she was surprised. "That's it? You're not going to yell at me for yelling at you? Wait, does that even make sense?" she ranted in wonder, confusing herself as well as me.

And there she went again. Blabbering about nonsense to herself, when she thought people were listening to her. Not even I, her best friend, could stop her, when she started like this. There was one thing that could, though. "Sharpay," I said in a singsong voice. "MALL!" She was silent the instant I had said the word. Then she lightened up. "Say what? Where?" Everyone started laughing at her for falling for the trick again and again. She took to pouting.

**Troy's POV:**

Half an hour later we had finally managed to update everyone else about what we had done since we had last seen each other. And now we didn't have anything to do, so everyone was thinking intensively about the topic. Finally Sharpay came up with a useful idea. "Hey, let's go swimming!" she said. Everyone besides Gabriella looked happy. I didn't even know why. She usually loved to go swimming. Oh well, I would figure it out later.

The minutes later we were finished with preparation and ready to go. "Okay, does anyone have a map that leads to the pool?", Chad asked, confusing everyone about whether he had made a joke or had been serious. Same old Chad, same old one. Everyone was in their bathing suits except for Gabriella, who was still wearing her clothes. I couldn't get rid of the feeling that she was trying to hide something. But that couldn't be. I had taken care of her, had watched her. She had started eating again, so there was nothing she would need to hide.

When we got to the pool, we all jumped into the pool. But once again Gabriella was the one that didn't and when I glanced over to her, I saw that she was just sitting down lifelessly. She didn't have the olive glow in her face; instead she was emotionless and pale. Something was wrong with her. I knew it. She was hiding something from me. And I badly needed to figure out what she was hiding.

**Gabriella's POV:**

I couldn't go swimming, for I felt way too weak to do so. I didn't know why, but lately I hadn't been in the mood to do anything. I had tried to quit the bulimia, but I couldn't. If I were not bulimic, I wouldn't get pretty and skinny. I wanted to tell Troy about my thoughts so badly, but until now I had never found the guts to. I knew it would break his heart.

**Troy's POV:**

After I had climbed out of the pool, I walked over to Gabriella and sat next to her. She shifted farther away from me. Trying not to show my hurt about that – something I had perfected over the last days – I ignored it and smiled cheerfully at her like I would do normally. Lately she had been acting weird. She had been eating for months now, but she looked skinnier than ever. She hadn't talked to me in a long time. She was always so quiet now, unlike the Gabriella that I knew.

"Hey, Gabs. Why aren't you in the pool?" I questioned her, trying to get at least something out of her. "I just don't feel like it." she whispered, her voice sounding weak. "It's not that time of month, Gabs, I know something is wrong." I told her flat out, not even bothering that it sounded weird that I knew about that. When I told her that I knew something was wrong, though, her eyes widened. Quickly she shot back: "You of all people don't know something is wrong. Maybe it came early this month; how would you know?" Shocked from her outburst I decided to leave the matter, but I could still tell she was hiding something from me.

**Gabriella's POV:**

I knew Troy could read me like a book. The thing was that I normally could read Troy like a book, too. The only thing I couldn't read was who he loved, which girl he liked more than everyone else. But I knew that it sure as hell wasn't me. That was the reason I just wanted to hide my bulimia from him, because if he made me stop - and he would if he knew about it - I would look fat and ugly for the rest of my petty life. I knew that I would never look like the girls in the magazines, and even if a wonder happened and I did, then Troy would still never love me like I loved him.

**Troy's POV:**

I knew something was wrong. I could read her like a book. The only thing I couldn't read was who she liked. It was like that was written in a different language, a language that everyone else knew except me… I guessed that I would never find out.

**A/N i would like to dedicate this chapter to my best friend Miriam because it is her birthday today. i would also like to thank SwedishAussie and xoZEFRONGIRLIExo for giving me a great review **

**i look forward to read your future review. **

**thx for reading and sorry for misspelling**

**xoxo**

**totalflirt**


	6. Chapter 6: Albany Stevens

**Recap of the last chapter:**

I knew something was wrong. I could read her like a book. The only thing I couldn't read was who she liked. It was like that was written in a different language, a language that everyone else knew except me… I guessed that I would never find out.

**Gabriella's POV:**

It was a few months after that fateful day I had snapped at Troy like that and I had finally seen the light that I couldn't keep doing this to myself. I had told my mother about me being bulimic and my fears of clinics. After the initial shock she had helped me find a solution. I had been going to the psychiatrist for a few months now and I had told her everything, even the fact that I was bulimic from time to time. I had even tried to stop it from going on, but after some thing had upset me I had turned right back. I still hadn't told Troy yet. He knew I was seeing a psychiatrist – there was no way I would have been able to keep something like that from him -, but I had told him it was because sometimes I felt depressed. It wasn't lying, because it was part of the truth. It was more something like editing the whole thing. I trusted the psychiatrist enough to not tell Troy about what I told her. And then there was still the medical confidentiality.

When I talked to Troy, there was always an awkward silence following the conversation. We had drifted apart and both of us knew it. All we talked about was Albany Stevens, the new girl that had joined us at East High to the same time I had started going to the psychiatrist. She was also on the cheerleading quad and she looked like it. She was a blond and had sapphire eyes. She was skinny and always wore tight clothes to show off her body.

I could never look like her. Recently, Troy had brought her into our table and started forgetting about me. And she didn't do anything to prevent that from happening. Yes, she encouraged it. Yesterday she actually pushed me away from Troy and shoved me to the side, just so that she could sit by him. And the worst part was that Troy hadn't even noticed… All he had done was looking into her eyes and smiling at her. The only time he spent alone time with me was when he took me to the counsellor. At least I knew he still cared about me, even it was only a tiny bit.

**Troy's POV:**

Albany Stevens: blonde and beautiful. You only needed those two words to describe her. I still liked Gabriella, but she didn't have the same feelings for me. If she did she would have told me already. Yeah, I knew that she was shy, but she was never shy around me. Until now. Lately we had been drifting apart. I hadn't gone to the rooftop garden in a long time, because every time I went up there I remembered what could've been if I hadn't run away.

**Flashback:**

**Troy's POV:**

I gave a note to Gabriella, telling her to meet me on the rooftop garden at free period. Sure I could have just told her, but I didn't trust my voice. I was going to tell her how I really felt about her; that I wanted more than friendship if she was willing to take that step. I just hoped she felt the same way. "Troy, are you here?", Gabriella asked, when she came up the stairs. My heart took a leap. She had come. Now all I had to do was doing this right. "Yeah, I'm right here." I answered her, indicating for her to sit on the bench beside me. Then I took a deep breath and started: "Gabriella, I want to tell you something, but I can't find the words. That's why I'm going to show you."

**Gabriella's POV:**

"Gabriella, I want to tell you something, but I can't find the words. That's why I'm going to show you.", Troy said in a soft voice, as he started leaning in and our lips touched. My heart started working over-time. I wanted to kiss back so badly, but I was still too shocked about everything that was happening. I mean, there was no way that I could have predicted this, right? He quickly pulled away, though, after noticing I didn't respond and said, averting his face: "Gabriella… I'm so sorry… I shouldn't have done that." And with that he darted downstairs. I placed two fingers against my mouth where his lips had been not more than a minute ago and I felt a tear slide down my face. I wanted to tell him, but I couldn't find the words to. I was still too shocked to be able to hear the warning bell ring.

**End of Flashback**

**Gabriella's POV:**

I needed to clear my head. I couldn't keep on thinking about Troy. He had Albany now, I couldn't and I wouldn't take away his happiness from him. Sometimes when you love someone you have to let them be happy… even if that means pain to you. I glanced over to the clock and saw that it was getting late and I needed to get to school for a rehearsal. I quickly slipped in my pyjamas and under my covers. And soon enough my eyes started to close, letting me fall into deep slumber.

**Nobody's POV:**

It was around eight o'clock and every one needed to get to homeroom to not be late and receive a detention. Gabriella was turning the corner of the hall way to get to her locker, when she saw Troy and Albany in a heated make out session. Her heart churned at the sight and she began to feel sick. Turning around, she ran to the counsellor's office as quickly as she could. At the same time Gabriella decided to run Troy felt someone looking at him, so he broke apart from Albany and looked up, seeing that Gabriella had seen him with Albany and obviously was hurt by it or too embarrassed to stay and approach him. He sighed and left Albany hanging.

**Gabriella's POV:**

After I had seen Troy kissing Albany, I ran to the counsellor's office and waited to see if she was there.

When I found out that she wasn't at school yet, I decided to go to the rooftop garden. I needed some calm and peace and that would be the best place to settle down. I didn't notice that I was crying until I felt water on my lips. I didn't know why I was crying. I mean… we weren't even together or anything. Just best friends and I wasn't even sure about that anymore. Did it still classify as best friends, when we didn't even talk properly to each other anymore? Then I heard a voice that I knew so well: "I haven't been up here since that day…" It was Troy's. As badly as I wanted to jump up and run straight into his arms, I had to compose myself. So I turned around and asked: "Why are you up here? Aren't you supposed to be with Albany?"

**Troy's POV:**

"Why are you up here? Aren't you supposed to be with Albany?" Those words really hurt me. Was she of all people tying me down to being with her? I couldn't believe it, but looking into her eyes and seeing betrayal, sadness, and hurt I could see her reasons for doing so. I was just glad that none of these feelings were anger. My eyes travelled down from her eyed to her cheeks and I saw tear stains. Instantly I felt guilty because I was the one who had caused her tears. Taking a step forward, I took her hands, while she looked at anything but me, and said "I came up here to remember the good things that happened up here." I wanted to tell that I wasn't with Albany because I wasn't supposed to be with her, I was supposed to be with Gabriella. But for some reason I couldn't say it. I couldn't bring myself to admit it and I didn't know why. All I knew was that it was wrong to keep silent about that. She just looked at me, before she left. Her eyes were filled with sorrow that I had caused. And it hurt. It hurt so much to know that.

**Gabriella's POV:**

He had never said anything about Albany… it meant that he was taken. Otherwise he would have made a comment to my accusation that he was supposed to be with her. Once that thought came to my head I had the urge to purge. This had never happened to me. I usually ate and then purged, but this time I didn't have to eat anything to feel the need to vomit. Wait… this could be a faster way for me to lose weight. Now that Troy was too wrapped up with Albany, he wouldn't have anytime to look after me… so he wouldn't notice if I ate or not. Not that he would care anyways, now that he had Albany.

I glanced down at my watch and saw that it was time for me to go to my appointment with my counsellor. As I went outside and started walking towards the bus stop, I noticed that there was a car following me. I didn't have to look back to note that, because I heard the engine. I started walking faster, when I heard someone say: "Do you need a ride?"

I turned around and saw Lucas Scott; he was a junior like me. He had blue eyes and blonde hair. He was driving a black car with the word "Comet" on it and I had always wondered what it meant, but I had never really bothered to ask. Right now, if you asked me what I was thinking about, I would answer you and tell you that I was debating whether I should take the ride or not. Then I made my decision. It would be of no use if I kept walking; driving was way faster.

I quickly nodded and got in his car. "Where are you headed?" he asked me, seemingly interested in my life. I gave him the address and he asked: "Why do you need to go there? Isn't that a place where you see psychiatrists?" I nodded softly and told him: "I have an appointment…"

**Troy's POV:**

It was a few days after Gabriella had bailed on me on the rooftop garden. When I passed by Gaby's locker, I saw that Lucas was next to her and that they were talking about the party on Friday. I felt my blood boil. The thought of Lucas and Gabriella sickened me. How dared he to mess with my girl? Wait! Where did that come from? As much as I wanted her to be mine, she would never be mine. Still I had to tell her sometime, because if I didn't I'd always be asking myself what would have been if I had done it. "Troy, are you even listening?" Albany asked. "What? Yeah, sure." I replied, not even knowing when she had come by my side. "So then it's settled. Pick me at seven for the party. Bye, Troy.", she said, laughing flirtingly. "Wait! What?", I asked her, finally coming out of my thoughts, but I was too late. She was already gone

**A.N. As for the description of Lucas: For those who watch One Tree Hill, as in Lucas Scott… Number 22 after he rejoined the basketball team.**

**AN This story is for Zac's 21st birthday on the 18th and HSM3 coming out on the big screen on the 24th.**

**Now answer this... Who is going to watch HSM3? Because I know I am!**


	7. Chapter 7: Come and Save Me

**Recap of the last chapter:**

"_Troy, are you even listening?" Albany asked. "What? Yeah… Sure." I replied. "So it's settled. Pick me at seven for the party. Bye, Troy.", she said. "Wait, what?" But I was too late, she was already gone._

**Gabriella's POV**

The party taking place three days ago had been heart-breaking. I had seen Albany sitting on Troy's lap! And the fact that he hadn't even minded wasn't making things any better. Right now I was walking to my appointment with my psychiatrist. I hadn't told her about my new habit of purging and not eating yet. And guess what? I lost ten pounds in the past week…

**Mystery Person's POV**

Now would you look at that? Gabriella Montez was walking alone at six o'clock at night. What to do? What to do? I knew it. Bringing her to a little visit to my basement would be best.

**Troy's POV**

I arrived at the ice cream parlour where I was supposed to pick Gabriella up to take her to her appointment with her psychiatrist. But she wasn't there. Where was she? She was supposed to be here half an hour ago. Maybe she had already started walking there… oh my god! Wait. Did I just say 'oh my god'? Oh my gosh, … Now it was official. I had been hanging out with Sharpay way too much.

**Chad's POV**

Alright. Right now I was standing in front of a very flustered looking Troy who was mumbling about it already been two hours. "Troy, calm down…. Tell me what happened. And why do you have one of Gabriella's shoes? I mean, I know that you like her, but I didn't think you would go that far." I joked, not realising that this might be a bad time for that.

**Troy's POV**

"I… I found it by the side walk on the way to the psychiatrist…" I stuttered. Chad's eyes went wide. It took me a few seconds to figure out what I had said. Then it hit me. I had just told Chad about Gabriella's problem. But he obviously hadn't picked up on the info, as he seemed to be more worried about the information of Gabriella having disappeared. "What do you mean? Do you think someone took her? I mean, if you really think it is like that… We have to call the police!" he said, as he jumped up to get the phone.

"We can't really. It wouldn't be of any help. They won't do anything, for it hasn't been 24 hours yet." I replied in a dull voice. What if something serious and really bad was happening to her at this particular moment and I was sitting here, not being able to do anything about it? Chad interrupted my thoughts. "How do you know it hasn't been 24 hours yet?" he asked. I starred up at him. "Because of the blood marks that were right by her shoe when I got there. They were still fresh… God, if someone has hurt her…"

**Gabriella's POV**

I had been walking to my psychiatrist and the next thing I knew I had been cut and then pulled into a car. Something had hit my head and I had slowly slipped unconsciousness without even having time to do as much as struggle against whoever was holding me down. I had woken up a while later and I had found myself in an unfurnished basement. The only source of light was the sunlight seeping through the cracks on the concrete walls. Suddenly someone opened the door.

"Why, hello there, Gabriella. I see that you have finally woken up," a voice said. "It's too bad that your so called best friend can't come and save you. Do you know what I realized? He can be fooled so easily. I have kept my eye on you for a long time. I've been waiting for the right moment to get you alone. And with the help of my cousin, Albany Stevens, I could do so. Oh, you have met Albany, right? I believe that she is the one that spends all her time with your sweet, sweet friend. I hope you have figured out who I am because I will be getting to know you very well…" Then the door closed.

I was terrified. At first it had been difficult to see anything in the darkness of this cellar-like room, but I had finally managed to recognize the voice talking to me. The realization slowly came to my mind. Chuck Stevens had kidnapped me. The thought sent my mind into over-drive. What did he mean by getting to know me very well and the fact that Albany Stevens was a set-up?

I couldn't believe that I had been jealous of her. Wait! Where did that come from? I just hoped Troy was okay. It was then I realized that I was tied up to a pipe hanging from the ceiling. This was ridiculous. I had gotten kidnapped by some guy from my school and then I found out that the girl my best friend liked pretty much was nothing more than a set-up. Well, only a kind of set-up, because really: Who was crazy enough to NOT like THE Troy Bolton? That was the difference between me and him. Nobody would probably even notice that I was gone. Who would like a fat girl like me? Great! Now I was stuck here with no prince to come save me.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next day the door crept open and from the long line of light I could see Chuck holding a belt in his hands… I could see him walking towards me with an evil smirk on his face and I panicked, because I could tell what he wanted to do with me.

**Troy's POV**

At school I was walking down the hallway, deep in thoughts, until I bumped into a random kid. Chuck Stevens. "So, have you found Gabriella yet?", he smirked. I rolled my eyes, not wanting to show how unnerved I was by the fact that it had already been a whole day without any trace from her, and started walking again. Then it hit me. I hadn't told anyone about Gabriella missing yet. I quickly turned around to see if Chuck was still there, but he wasn't. I had to find Chad. Now. Who knew what that freak had done to her or, even worse, with her.

**Gabriella's POV**

It had been a few days since I had gotten kidnapped and everyday Chuck came down and beat me, sometimes so hard that I slipped into unconsciousness. I was positive that I had scars all over me from the buckle of the belt that he beat me with. Everyday he came down and stripped me until I was in my bra and panties and he started touching me in places that I didn't want to be touched. Everyday he went farther, I wouldn't be surprised if one of these days he sexually harassed me. My thoughts didn't mean that I had given up hope, but if this went on… it was only a matter of time until I passed out because of dehydration. I couldn't even show my fear, because it would only lead him on.

Just then the door opened. Chuck stepped in, but without a belt this time. "Hey babe, have you been a good girl today, while I was at school?" It was always like this. I had learned from the first day that it wasn't good to respond to him. He slowly came up to me and touched my cheek; I was beginning to freak out. He usually wasn't like this. Then, all of a sudden, he started untying the rope that held my hands and he led me up the stairs. Goosebumps started creeping up my skin. I could only imagine what this would lead to. Suddenly we reached a wooden door. I assumed it was his bedroom. Once he opened the door, I peered in, driven by curiosity. There were pictures of me all over the wall. I couldn't even see what colour his wall was! Then he started taking off my clothes, including my bra and panties, and started tying me up to his bed post… but this wasn't what surprised me. Sure, it had me freaked out, because it went against more than only my will to have him see me like this – naked and vulnerable. He finally started taking off his clothes, too. I knew what was coming and I sure didn't want it, but I had learned that screaming wouldn't help me, nor would it do me any good. I shut my eyes tightly, bracing myself for what was about to happen.I faintly whispered "come and save me Troy."… Just then the door was busted open.

**A.N. This chapter is for my wonderful beta, oxlovelyxo, give her a round of applause everyone. Anyway I will be updating ASAP. I am really excited about the next chapter. **


	8. Chapter 8: Saved by My Prince

**Recap of the last chapter:**

I shut my eyes tightly, bracing myself for what was about to happen. I faintly whispered: "Come and save me, Troy."… Just then the door was busted open.

**Troy's POV:**

I stopped in front of Chuck's home. Actually I found you could barely call it a home. It was more of a house that looked the worse for wear. I couldn't exactly decipher why, but in my opinion it had this really creepy feeling to it. You'd never want to enter it, much less do it by your own choice. Which brought me back as to why I was here. Gabriella. If she was here – and at that moment I had no doubts whatsoever about that –, then she wasn't here of her own accord. I gritted my teeth. If Chuck had kidnapped her, he would soon wish to never have been born.

With grim determination I opened the gate and headed to the back door. I couldn't allow myself to be seen, just in case Chuck was cautious of someone following him. Surprisingly the door was unlocked. It was almost as if Chuck was expecting someone. Carefully I walked into the house, always taking care of providing my cover at the same time, as I heard a whimper. My stomach churned. I could recognise it anywhere. It was the same whimper that Gabriella always made when she was scared. Forgetting all about being carefully, I followed the noise up the stairs, until I came to a closed door.

I faintly heard a voice say: "Come and save me, Troy" It definitely was Gabriella. And she was in serious trouble. This thought was what set me off. How dared that jerk to even come near her, let alone try and hurt her? Angrily I kicked the door open, just to be greeted by seeing Gabriella tied up to the bed post, completely naked with tears coming down her cheeks. The sight was bloodcurdling. Not because of Gabriella, mind you, but because of Chuck who was almost right next to her. My blood began boiling. He had actually dared it. Now there would be hell to pay for him.

I charged with all my might and rammed Chuck against the wall, so that he collapsed right away. That served him right. I only hoped that I had crushed a few bones of his, as I had driven him up against that wall. It was solid enough. Not even sparing him a second glance, I walked over to Gabriella and untied her from the bed post. She was lying on the bed completely motionless, eyes half-closed and her breathing laboured. But suddenly her eyes grew wide with fear. "Look out, Troy!", she screamed, shakily lifting her am and pointing to someone behind me.

I instantly turned around and was welcomed by a punch in the face, which threw me across half the room. Damn, that boy had recovered consciousness much too early. I lifted myself off the floor and made a grab for him, catching hold of his throat. We got into an intense battle and it pretty damn looked as if nobody of us would win. At that thought I mobilised all my powers and after five minutes I punched him square in the jaw. That knocked him out again. I ran over to the bed, just to see that Gabriella wasn't there anymore

I started panicking. Where had she gone now? She wasn't in the state to run off and wander around herself. What the hell was I supposed to do now? That was when I heard a sob by the corner. I turned around and saw something that broke my heart. Gabriella was curled into a ball and bailing her eyes out. Without a second thought I took off my jacket and quickly walked over to her. I touched her bare shoulder to try and clam her down, but she flinched away. It hurt me deeply to see her crouching to me, but I knew instinctively that she wasn't afraid of me in particular. She was afraid of every touch from anybody. Making an effort to convince her that I wouldn't hurt her, I whispered: "Brie, it's okay. It's only me. Troy."

**Gabriella's POV:**

"Brie, it's okay. It's only me. Troy." I knew this voice. I could recognise it. And I could link it to a person that I definitely knew of that they wouldn't hurt me. Troy. Oh my god, he had really come to my rescue. I slowly looked up and into those blue eyes that I have longed to see looking at me for an unbelievably long time. Relief filled me to my very core. Troy had come. He had saved me. I hadn't been raped. In a sudden rush of gratitude towards him, the world and everyone that hadn't tried to hurt me up to now I wrapped my arms around his neck and began crying into his chest. The relief was too great to hold it all in. He gently put his jacket around me and lifted me up, so my legs were wrapped around his waist.

Thank goodness that his jacket was long enough to cover my butt or else he would have been touching it. And at the moment I was grateful for every part of my body that no one was touching. Even though I knew Troy and I knew that he wouldn't hurt me – on purpose at the very least -, I still felt uncomfortable being touched. But the feeling subsided the moment I fully came to realise that it was over. And I snuggled deeper into his chest. Troy flipped his phone open and called the police to come and arrest Chuck who was still lying unconscious. Before the police came, however, he took off his shirt and put it on me, then he tied his jacket around my waste, so I wouldn't be exposed. I had never been more grateful in my entire life. Then he did the one thing I needed most. He held me. He held me like there was no tomorrow. And I could tell by the stains that slowly appeared on his shirt worn by me that he was crying, too.

**Troy's POV:**

After I had held Gabriella for good half an hour, I got up and started walking outside with her still in my arms. There was no way that I was going to let go of her anytime soon. But she needed to be under medical attention, seeing as she had fainted not long ago, so I ran to the nearest hospital as soon as the police had arrived and taken care of Chuck. I didn't care that my legs were hurting from running so fast, I just needed to get her to a hospital. It was all that counted right now. When I finally got in, I ran to the receptionist and told her about Gabriella's problem as fast as I could. We couldn't waste any more time, she was already unstable enough as it was. When I eventually was done retelling what had happened, the receptionist called for a wheelchair and motioned for me to set her down.

But that was something I definitely wouldn't do. I wouldn't leave her alone right now. I had let her down once, I wouldn't do it a second time. "No!" I screamed. "Wherever she goes… I'll go with her. I left her once and look what happened!" Nurses that had been standing behind the reception started rushing towards me and said: "Sir, we need you to calm down. It's not going to help anything." But their pleas feel on deaf ears. "Calm down? Calm down?!?! Do you really think I can calm down right now? My best friend almost got raped. And you're expecting me to calm down?" The nurses beat a hasty retreat, fear written clearly across their faces. My anger problems were really catching up to me.

**Nurse's POV:**

Alright, someone really needed to calm that boy down. We wouldn't be able to do anything for the girl if he didn't give in. "Okay, just put her down in a wheel chair. You can be right next to her, when we wheel her in to the examination room to see the damage that…" I was abruptly cut off by the boy. "Do you think I'm stupid? I know exactly that, once I've put her down on the wheelchair, you're going to tell me to wait in the waiting room. I refuse to put her down! I will carry her to the room by myself!" he yelled, his voice wavering a bit, but his eyes full of determination.

I could tell that this boy was in love with the young girl in his arms, although he had said that they were only best friends. But I had never seen before this kind of attitude if the girl in question was just a friend. It could be that he was in denial, maybe he had already realised and he sure as hell hadn't told the girl about his feelings, but whatever it was… he loved her. And for that reason I granted him his wish. Not that I would have been able to do anything about it if I weren't content with him carrying her.

"Okay, just follow me then. Do you know if she has been sexually assaulted before?" The young boy shook his head.

"Maddie, get me a rape kit. What's her name?" The question was directed at the receptionist, but the boy was quick to answer. "Gabriella Montez." I nodded satisfied and jotted it down on my note book. Then I motioned for him to follow me, which he did, the girl still clinging onto him as if he was the only thing that mattered. And she wasn't even conscious. When we got to the room, I said: "I need you to take off her clothes and go outside, this is a private manner. And as much as you don't want to leave her side… you have to." I could see the indignation in his eyes, but after the doctor had come in and held the door for the boy, he hesitated only a second. Then he unwillingly trudged outside. Good boy.

**Troy's POV:**

I had been sitting here in the waiting room for over an hour. The doctors and nurses had been running in and out of the room, but none of them would tell me about the state Gabriella was in. The last time I had seen her, she had still been unconscious, so I was beginning to get worried. What if the shock had been too much? What if she never woke up again? And I could do absolutely nothing about it…

I was awoken by a doctor that called out Gabriella's name. I rushed over to him with way too many questions running through my head. "Is she okay? Can I see her? Is she asking for me?" I asked him eagerly, not caring about the bemused expression he wore. The doctor grinned at me. "Slow down, son. She's fine. Luckily she didn't get raped, but she did get abused. And yes, you can see her, but be aware that she's still a bit poor in health. Are you Troy?" I nodded, more slowly this time. "She has been asking for you."

When I walked in the room, my heart broke once again, for her head was faced towards the window and you could see the tear tracks leading down her face. "Gabby? Are you okay?" I asked, fully aware of the irony of the question. Of course she wasn't okay… but it still was the first question coming to my mind. She didn't even turn around to face me, as she started speaking. "Troy… I need to tell you something. I haven't eaten for a while now.", she said softly, her gaze never leaving the window. "I know… The doctor told me that Chuck didn't give you anything to eat." I replied. Confused as to why she was telling me that. "That's not what I meant." Her head finally turned to face me. "I haven't eaten since two weeks." My heart nearly came to a still stand. That was impossible, I had seen her eating, I had seen her… With sudden realisation I became aware that I hadn't. I hadn't! I had been way too busy with spending time with Albany… I hadn't even cared if Gabriella was still eating. God, I really was the worst friend in history.

I couldn't speak and Gabriella misinterpreted my silence. She actually thought I was mad at her. "I'm so sorry. I'm really so sorry, Troy. I know I let you down…", she squirted in her bed, her face filled with unease and worry. It broke my heart over and over again. How could she blame herself for this? "Gabby, I can promise you that you haven't let me down if anything I am the one that let you down. If I had paid more attention to you, this wouldn't have happened. And you would have been eating…", I trailed off, not knowing what to say anymore. How do you apologise for endangering your best friend's life, just because you were too selfish to care about her? "Troy, this wasn't any of your faults." She replied, but I knew she was wrong. I didn't care if she really thought me innocent. I knew that I was guilty. And I needed to make it right again.

**Gabriella's POV:**

"Gabriella, can you promise me one thing?" he asked me, after he finally had found his voice again. I nodded, scared of what he might ask of me. "You have to promise me that you will eat again and quit starving yourself. You are one of the most beautiful people I know. You are perfect the way you are, you don't need to change a thing. Okay?" Oh my god. That certainly wasn't what I had expected. I had thought he would be mad with me and instead he took to complimenting me. And he did it in such a sweet manner… I nodded my head - I would do anything to please him - and I felt tears running down my cheeks. That obviously worried him to no end. "Hey… hey, Gabby, don't cry! If you do, you are going to make me cry, too. And I really don't need any tears right now, because I need to tell you something." Just then his phone started ringing. After one quick look at the caller ID he excused himself. "Wait right here. I have to take this."

When he left the room, I overheard the name "Albany" and started getting disappointed. Why did it always have to be her that stood in my way of telling Troy how I felt about him? And every time she interrupted us, she reminded me of the reason why Troy could never like me. Trying to get the sadness out of my system, I started singing.

**Troy's POV:**

Hands touch, eyes meet  
Sudden silence, sudden heat  
Hearts leap in a giddy whirl  
He could be that boy  
But I'm not that girl

Don't dream too far  
Don't lose sight of who you are  
Don't remember that rush of joy  
He could be that boy  
I'm not that girl

Every so often we long to steal  
To the land of what-might-have-been  
But that doesn't soften the ache we feel  
When reality sets back in

Blithe smile, lithe limb  
She who's winsome, she wins him  
Gold hair with a gentle curl  
That's the girl he chose  
And Heaven knows  
I'm not that girl:

Don't wish, don't start  
Wishing only wounds the heart  
I wasn't born for the rose and the pearl  
There's a girl I know  
He loves her so  
I'm not that girl…

I peeked into the room and found her looking out of the room again. "Who was that for, Gabby?" She turned her head to me and gasped, apparently astonished about my retreating. "You've heard that?" For some weird reason she sounded scared. I plainly nodded. "It was just something I wrote.", she whispered, obviously not intending on telling me anything else. But I needed to know. If she loved another boy… I didn't know if I could stand that. "For whom? Gabby, look me in the eye and tell me", I said. My heart stopped beating for the second it took her to answer. I could faintly hear the word: "You"

My heart started beating again and this time it beat faster than ever. Did that mean…? I didn't know, but I had to find out. I had to tell her. "Gabby, I have been trying to say this for a long time. I like you, too, so I hope that I am that boy, but you are also that girl.", I told her, desperately hoping for her to be happy about my confession. But she didn't even understand me. "How can you like me? I'm so fat and…" How the hell could she think she was fat? She was one of the skinniest girls I had ever seen and if she lost even more weight, I would have to seriously worry about her. Which I was doing enough, by the way. And I couldn't let her go on saying that kind of crap, so I cut her off by kissing her.

She was shocked at first, but then she started kissing back. I closed my eyes in pure bliss. This was what I had waited for in so long, this was what I had nearly lost because of hanging out with Albany. Suddenly she pulled back. "What's wrong?" I asked her, eyes wide with fear. Had I done something to disgust her? But it wasn't that. "I can't do this! You are dating Albany, for god's sake.", she said, shaking her head with devastation clearly written all over it. I nearly laughed. If that was the only reason she had pulled back… "Is that what you think? That I'm going out with Albany? Man, she bugs the heck out of me."

"Then why did you kiss her and go to the party with her?" she whispered and I could see that from her point of view she did have a point. It really might have looked as if I was going out with her. "She set me up." I replied to convince her that nothing was wrong. And then I asked her the question that had been bugging me for so long. "Brie, will you… Brie, you are the most amazing person on earth. I promise I will never hurt you. I want you to answer this only if you want to. Do you trust me?" She nodded, her eyes shining confused as to what I was about to do. "Do you like me?" She nodded again. Thank god for that one.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" I held my breath. If she said no… I didn't know what I would do. Gabriella moment, progressing the question, before she answered. But it wasn't the answer I had hoped for. "I'm so sorry, but I can't. Please try to understand me, Troy. I almost got raped… Do you really think I can get over it that fast? Troy, if you really love me - the way I love you - you will wait for me. I can promise you that one day there will be an us, but I don't know when that day will come. I hope you will help me through this, you have always been my rock and my dream come true. You're just like my knight in shining armour."

She started crying and I realised she wasn't the only one. I was crying, too. I hadn't known she felt that way, but I was thankful for it. She wasn't turning me down, she was just putting a relationship on the hold. "Gabriella, you shouldn't be saying sorry. I can promise you that I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes. I understand why you are scared. I want to be there for you through it all. Just understand that, no matter what, I will never do anything to hurt you and if I do I will hate myself. If I already have hurt you I am so sorry." I went to hug her, glad that the feelings on both of our accounts were out in the open. And now I just had to cheer her up again. Grinning, I hold up an DVD. "So, on the bright side I went to the video room and guess what I found? RENT… I was hoping that we could watch it. Just like old times, when it was just you and me."

**Gabriella's POV:**

Oh my gosh. I had seen this movie dozens of times already and I cried every single time. It was just so sad. Angel and Collins die at the end, so it's a really tragic love story. I felt so bad for Mimi, because Roger was always rejecting her, but I found it so touching that someone would write a song for someone they loved. I would love it if someone did that for me. "Troy!", I said and he raised his head. "Do you know what I just realised, after watching this so many times? I realised that I would love if someone wrote a song for me, just like Roger did for Mimi. Now that's what I call true love."


	9. Chapter 9

**A.N. I am soo sorry about the late update. A lot of things have been going on and I have to give a special thanks to my beta-ElectrifyingChemistry- She gave me most of this Chapter's inspiration. I hope you like it.**

**Recap of last chapter:**

"Do you know what I just realized, after watching this so many times? I realized that I would love if someone wrote a song for me, just like Roger did for Mimi. Now that's what I call true love."

**Troy's POV**

I looked around the pale white room Gabriella was currently living in. It was not as if she'd be stable enough to go home anytime soon, so people had tried to make it more comfortable. Little baskets or flowers with balloons saying "Get Well Soon" were scattered around the room: All of our friends had stopped by sometime within the week that Gabriella had stayed at the hospital and all have them had wished her to get better, but still none of them really knew what had happened… all they knew was that Gabriella had been kidnapped and that she was hurting right now. My eyes drifted from the little presents to the window. Outside it was so peaceful, you could see the sunset. It was such a contrast to the hospital room. There was nothing that was happy in this room. Finally my eyes landed on Gabriella.

Her sight still made my stomach clench in anger and my heart hurt in sadness. How someone could have done that to her was beyond my knowledge. Her hair was scattered and her face was still bruised, but in my eyes she was the most beautiful girl I had ever laid my eyes on. The blanket was up to her neck and I could see every soft detail of her body. Every now and then she would move, but she would always fall back into a peaceful sleep. I prayed desperately that she would be okay… The doctors were still concerned about her, she hadn't been eating as much as she should have – which was not astounding, taking into account her history with food - and they said that she was on the edge of falling into a coma… Sighing, I brought my head to my hands.

**Maria Montez's POV (Gabriella's Mom)**

I was about to walk into Gabriella's room when I saw Troy sitting in a chair next to the bed. His head was in his hands and he looked troubled. It was no wonder, really, considering all the facts the boy had to face. Gabriella nearly being rapped and currently in hospital, the offender still running around without a chance of getting him into jail without Gabriella's testimony – I knew exactly how he was feeling. Both of us loved Gabriella with all our hearts and both of us couldn't stand to see her suffer. In a way it was weird, but I was kind of glad that there was someone else worried about Gabriella. My schedule didn't leave me much room for constant visits in the hospital and I couldn't get time off from work, no matter how hard I tried. The fact that Troy was here on a daily basis took much of my guilty conscience away from me.

Shaking my thoughts out of my head – at least I was here right now -, I decided to make my presence known. I was about to knock when I heard someone call my name. Turning around, I came to see Gabriella's assigned doctor. His facial expression made my heart clench. He was too serious for my liking and suddenly I was dreading more bad information. His next words confirmed my suspicions. "Mrs. Montez, I need to speak to you for a minute. Your daughter is still fighting a coma. I have been monitoring her very carefully. I gave her some morphine yesterday, because she said that there was immense pain on the back of her head. That is where she might have been hit or slammed against a wall." He must have seen my pained expression, for he quickly went over with the last sentences. "She is slowly getting better so that is a good sign.", he informed me, giving me hope that it all would be okay. Well, as alright as it could get anyway. Suddenly his pager beeped and he excused himself: "That is all for now, I must go. But I can assure you that your daughter is in good hands." Before I even got to say another word, he left. God, I desperately hoped that he was right, that Gabriella would get better soon and that she could fight that damn coma threatening to overtake her. Turning back to the room, I softly knocked.

**Troy's POV**

I heard three soft knocks and lifted my head that was protesting against the sudden movement. I didn't know how long I had sat like that, but it had definitely been way too long. Starring at the door that only gradually opened, I saw that it was Mrs. Montez. Immediately I stood up and walked outside the room closing the door softly behind me. She hadn't seen her daughter in so long, but I felt like I needed to talk to her before she spoke to Gabriella. Her face told me that she had news from the doctors and I needed to know them, but she couldn't tell me in front of Gabriella. She needed rest and worrying her about her condition was the last thing I wanted to do to her. She was already dealing with so much and she was being so strong, but how much more could she take? She had been subjected to tried rape for God's sake; nobody could get through that without help of outsiders.

"Hello Mrs. Montez" The dark-haired Spanish resembled Gabriella so much I had to swallow. There was the normal accordance in looks you could often find with mother and daughter, but at the moment Mrs. Montez looked so much healthier than the girl lying in the bed in the room behind me. And the woman obviously knew what I was thinking, because she smiled at me in sympathy. "Troy, it's Maria to you. How is she?" Her voice was hopeful, as if I could tell her more than the doctors had said. The trouble was that she probably knew even more than me. "I don't know much, I'm afraid. The doctors won't tell me anything, because I'm not family. And she herself can't tell me, because she fell asleep a few hours ago." The desperate tone in my voice was hard to miss and Mrs. Montez took pity on me. "I guess you already know that she's still fighting a coma. But her assigned doctor said she's slowly getting better. So there is hope, Troy. She's strong. She's a fighter. She'll make it through this."

I was feeling awful. There she was, comforting me while her daughter was in a hospital room, suffering because I hadn't looked after her the way I should have. "How long are you gonna stay here?" I had to ask, because I wanted to know if she would be here when Gabriella woke up. "I have to go soon. My boss needs me for a project presentation, but I'll be here tonight…" She trailed off, looking at me with concerned eyes. "Troy, you should go home and get rest. You have been here all week and people are getting worried about you." I sighed inwardly. That was actually true, as several messages my parents had left on my mailbox of my phone could prove. But that didn't matter right now.

"I know Mrs.… I mean Maria. But I won't leave her side. Never again. I promised her something a long time ago and I refuse to break that promise again." Again, because I already had done it once. I had left her alone when she had needed me the most. I had allowed myself to get sidetracked by another girl, I had failed her. And I wasn't going to let her down again. My determination must have shown in my eyes, because Maria nodded defeated. With a look at her watch, she said goodbye. "Well, I have to go now, Troy. I have things to do… Tell Gabriella that I love her." And with that she was gone, her desire to stay clearly shining through her behaviour.

I sighed and walked inside with my head down. When I looked up and saw the most beautiful girl rubbing her eyes, I walked over to her and kissed her forehead, but she flinched away from me. I moved back immediately and sat down, feelings of sadness and rejection washing over me. I knew it was stupid, I shouldn't be feeling like this, but I couldn't help it. I wasn't a guy that would hurt her and she knew that… But the doctors had already warned me that this was going to happen sooner or later. Hell, it was common knowledge that girls exposed to rape experiences of any kind would develop a fear of the male gender for some time, but it still didn't save me from feeling hurt. Looking up at her with carefully guarded eyes – she didn't really need a guilty conscience added to the weight she was buried under -, I met her gaze.

The fear I had read only seconds before vanished completely and a sense of confusion appeared in her eyes. "Oh God, Troy, I'm so sorry!" Obviously she had noticed the flash of hurt crossing my face. I did my best to reassure her. "No, it's me that should be sorry, Gabriella. I didn't mean to… And I know you didn't mean to, either. It's just a reaction to me when I'm around you, I know that. It's completely natural." She had tears swimming in her eyes, shaking her head. "It's not your fault! God, I don't want to do this, but whenever a guy touches me, I seem to flinch away…" Starting crying, she trailed off and began shaking on her bed. My first instinct was to go over to her and comfort her, but I had to hold myself back. It wouldn't help if she got another anxious attack while already being emotionally disturbed, so instead I tried it with words. "Gabs, it's only natural. This isn't unusual for people who've been…" I didn't even dare to talk to her about it, because there was no way of telling what she would do.

I had got the feeling that denying it was her way of trying to get over it long ago, but I wasn't sure if it was going to work. In fact, I was sure that it wasn't going to. She needed to rely on someone else but herself to work it out. She was strong, yes, but everyone needed help once in a while. We both sat there in silence for a while and it wasn't a comfortable one. Desperately searching for a topic safe enough to talk about, I finally told her about her mother's visit. "Gabi, your mom was here earlier… She said that she loved you and would be back later tonight." I was hoping so badly for an answer that my heart sank considerately when she just nodded her head and continued to look down.

Not knowing when she would break out of that lapse of hers, I stood up and started walking to the door until I hear a soft "Don't go… Please don't go… I need you." The voice was so small, so easily overheard and yet so pleadingly full of force. Immediately, I turned around and looked at her. What I saw was not the Gabriella I knew, not the strong, confident girl who wasn't afraid of anything. The one I saw now was week, afraid, and in serious need of comfort. She had little tears forming in the corner of her eyes and all I wanted to do was to rush over to her that moment and kiss away the tears, but I couldn't. She would have a heart attack for sure, considering her situation and her bothering lack of knowledge for my feelings for her.

Knowing I wouldn't be able to restrain myself from showering her with the love and affection she deserved, I turned back to the door. Casting one last half-worried, half-longing look at her, I softly assured her that I wasn't going to leave her. "Don't worry, Brie. I just needed to go get some coffee. This daze I'm in at the moment is killing me. Some coffee should be off service. Do you want anything?" The joke I had attempted to make didn't reach her. No laughter, no silent amusement in her eyes, she looked down again and shook her head. Sighing inwardly, I asked myself how I would live through the next weeks and then proceeded towalk out the door without saying anything else.

**Gabriella's POV:**

I watched Troy walk out of the room and I felt as if my heart was being ripped out with him. I knew that all of this was hard on him, but I just couldn't concentrate enough to keep him out of seeing me this broken. For that I had had to little sleep these past days. Sighing, I closed my eyes, but the immediate image of Chuck coming towards me prevented me from falling asleep again. Quickly opening them again, I sat up and looked around the room. The same things I had see everyday for the past week… God, I couldn't help but think about what would happen when I got out of the hospital. It would be nice to have some changes, but on the other hand – I didn't know what would wait for me outside of this hospital. Would Chuck… My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Confused, I screwed my nose, knowing it wasn't Troy, because he would just come in.

Straightening out my blanket, I tried to make myself look less bad than I did right now. "Who is it?" I asked, preparing to hear the voice of another doctor wanting to perform some tests on me. I never got to hear it. "Gabriella, it's me." Immediately I recognized the voice ringing through the door. My mom. Sighing, I made myself comfortable again, wondering why she was here already. Hadn't Troy said she'd come this evening? "Come in, mom." I called out weakly, watching the door being opened she came in, she wasn't alone and she had a pleading look on her face. Confused, I regarded the man standing next to her, the obvious reason why she hadn't waited until tonight to come back.

"Honey, this is Officer Brian O'Conner. He came to ask you a few questions." My heart stopped beating for a few seconds. They wanted testimony. My testimony. God, I should have been prepared for this. After all, everybody had to do it after being exposed to a crime, didn't they? But I didn't want to do this. I didn't want to talk about it. If I did, it all would become more – real. My entire insides burned at the thought of admitting out loud what had been done to me and the old feelings of guilt consumed me once again. With force, I looked the police officer square in the eye. "Go away. I don't want to be asked any questions of any kind." I swallowed and in the corner of my eyes I could see my mom's eyes grow wide. "But, sweetie!" Her tone was pleading, but I wasn't going to budge on this. Wanting to went on with her speech, she was interrupted by the door opening. Glad to be save for now, I looked up and saw Troy's head peek in and look around. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked, I shook my head and motioned him in.

I didn't know what happened but all of a sudden I felt almost relieved. He walked over to me and sat on my bed. Reaching out to grab his hand in mine, I gave it a tight squeeze to tell him that I was nervous. Ever since first grade, we could tell how the other was feeling without words and at moments like this, it was very important to the both of us. He gave a squeeze back to show me that he understood and suddenly, Troy spoke up. "What going on, Brie?" I just shook my head at him silently, signalling him that I would tell him later. He just nodded his head and looked around at my mom and the officer, not saying a word. Taking the uniform in, I could slowly see the understanding dawning on his face, but still he didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say either, so I just sat there in silence.

My protest and Troy's arrival at the scene obviously had cut my mom off successfully and finally Officer Brian O'Conner stood up and excused himself. "I hope everyone has a good day. I should be leaving now, because I know that I won't get a statement today, but, Gabriella, I will be here soon. I need that statement to put Chuck in jail… or at least to court." At Chuck's name being mentioned, I flinched and Troy seemed to scoot closer to me. So they already knew who was responsible for this. Who had told them? Troy. Of course it must have been Troy, no one else would know. Because except for the three of us, nobody had been in on this. The door opened and closed as O'Connor took his leave and I stared at my mom for what seemed like an eternity. I could tell by her expression that she was upset that I wasn't going to talk about it, but I hoped that she at least had a bit of understanding for me.

And she did, for she stood up and said goodbye only minutes later, guessing that Troy and I needed to talk by the looks that were going on between the two of us. "It's getting late. I should be going now. Troy, thank you so much, I don't know how I would ever repay you." I looked at Troy's direction when I heard the door being softly shut. I knew that Troy would be having a long talk with me by the intense gaze he captured me with. The only question was: What would it be about?

**A.N. I hope you leave some comments and some inspiration. right now... I have nothing for the next chapter. so please leave some comments.**


	10. Big annoucement

**Hey guys… I'm so sorry for not updating… it's just that I have family problems right now. I just found out that my favorite uncle has cancer and that he is going to be living with me so I won't have anytime to write any of these chapters. I considered just leaving the story as it is and probably pick it up in a few months but then I thought of an even better idea. I can get you guys to write the chapters however you want it. I'll even put this story in the "m" section so you guys can have fun with your imagination. What I was thinking was that I could have different authors write chapters. There isn't a time limit on how long you can take with a chapter so you can make it as long or as short as you want. There are only one problem:**

**I don't have any writers… so I'm hoping that some of you guys that are out there would like to guest star in my story.**

**If anyone is interested you have to tell the next writer what they are writing about so pretty much tell me where you are going with the chapter so I can forward the news.**

**But remember… I can't do this without you so if you are interested in being a guest writer give me a pm and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.**

**And again for those who are reading… I'm really sorry about the no updating thing…**

**Oh and of course whoever writes the chapter will get full credit and I will personally tell all of my friends how awesome and amazing you are^^**


	11. Delete

**Okay well on the last AN, I had no response whatsoever so I have concluded that no one actually reads my story. I'm sorry to those out there that actually like this story but I don't have the motivation to write this story anymore. This is the last time I will post unless someone wants to continue this story completely. Just leave me a message and I'll put another post telling everyone to read your story instead of mine. I'm sorry but I have completely given up on this story. I tried writing for a few hours today but nothing seemed to work. If I don't get a response with anyone wanting this story I will delete it by the end of next week.**


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